“I was coming back from the foot surgery and trying to play it out, see how my foot was, and I don’t think it was anything that he did or nothing that they did,” Nicks said. “They came out and played hard. We’re a better team than that first game, so I think we’ve just got to go out there and execute our plays and play great team ball. We’ll be fine.’’

The Cowboys traded up to draft Claiborne with the sixth overall pick and signed cornerback Brandon Carr largely for games like this. Dallas didn’t have the secondary to cover the Giants’ receivers last season. This season, the Cowboys believe their secondary can contain the Giants, especially after beating them in Week 1.

The Giants disagree. Nicks vs. Claiborne will be one of the key matchups. We’ll see if Nicks is more impressed with Claiborne after their second encounter.